Successful heart procedure inspires Beacon patient to get symbolic first tattoo

Kelly Adelsperger

“I walk with a different kind of confidence now. I know my heart is fine.”

As a dedicated dog rescuer, Kelly Adelsperger has always been active, but a persistent shortness of breath while taking the dogs for a walk signaled an underlying issue that couldn’t be ignored.

“I knew I needed some answers,” Kelly said. She consulted with the Beacon Heart, Vascular and Stroke team, where she received a life-changing diagnoses: aortic stenosis, a condition that restricts blood flow through the heart due to a faulty valve.

She faced the choice between open heart surgery and a minimally invasive transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure. Kelly chose TAVR.

Dr. Mayank Mittal, interventional cardiologist, Beacon Medical Group Advanced Cardiovascular Specialists South Bend, performed her procedure in February. “He’s such a nice man,” Kelly said. “He’s very kind and caring. From the moment I met him, I liked him immediately.”

Her recovery was nothing short of amazing, or as she describes it, “a piece of cake.” Kelly returned home the day after her valve replacement and took a walk with her sister without shortness of breath.

Dr. Mayank Mittal, Beacon Medical Group Advanced Cardiovascular Specialists South Bend

“I was glad we were able to do the TAVR procedure for Kelly,” Dr. Mittal said. “The very next day after the operation, she felt so good that she walked a mile.”

Kelly added about her recovery, “It was just amazing. I never had any pain.”

Her experience with the TAVR heart procedure proved so positive that Kelly felt inspired to take an unexpected step: she got her first tattoo. One that would hold extra special meaning. One that would always remind her of this time in her life.

When she first saw the artificial valve, she thought it looked a lot like a crown. “So, I just sat down with a friend of mine who’s a tattoo artist, and he started playing around with it,” Kelly said about the tattoo design.

It took Kelly nearly eight months to work up the courage to schedule the appointment. Passionate about dog rescuing, she always assumed she would one day have a dog tattoo. But now, she looks down at her arm and smiles at the image of an artificial valve wrapped around a heart, with her own EKG reading right above it.

This unique piece of artwork makes Kelly smile every time she looks at it. It serves a daily reminder of her resilience and the care and procedure that gave her a new lease on life.

She remembers how delighted she felt to show it to Dr. Mittal on a follow-up visit. “I was really excited to see him again and say, ‘Look what I did!’” she recalled. “Dr. Mittal loved it the minute he saw it. It was awesome!”

Beacon Heart, Vascular and Stroke care

Why choose Beacon for your heart and vascular care? Beacon is the first in the region for performing the most heart procedures annually. We were the first thrombectomy-capable stroke center in Indiana — the only one within 90 miles. And, ours is the only regional program with specially trained structural heart therapy specialists. Learn more about the care provided by our entire Beacon cardiovascular team.